Stress and Fertility: Is There a Connection?

If you’re trying to get pregnant, there are a few things you hear from your doctor: take a prenatal vitamin, stop drinking coffee, eat a healthy, balanced diet. But most of the time, no one ever talks about decreasing your stress. As Americans, we tend to work long hours and take short vacations (if any), and we never seem to get enough sleep. What’s more is that we’re often running from one obligation to the next, stealing meals in the car, and having little time for relaxation. But what if this go-go lifestyle is the very thing that’s keeping you from getting pregnant in the first place?

A recent study conducted between the University of Louisville and Emory University confirmed that stress does impair fertility. Four hundred women enrolled in this study and were asked to track their daily stress on a scale of one to four, with one being low and four being high. The women were tracked over the course of eight menstrual cycles. On average, women who reported moderate stress levels were 40 percent less likely to conceive over their counterparts who reported low stress. Women with higher stress levels were 45 percent less likely to conceive.

Our bodies are remarkable things, and the intricate dance of hormones that can result in pregnancy requires an equilibrium in order for everything to function properly. Chronic overwork, lack of sleep, and emotional stress all have a physiological impact on the human body over time, which impairs its ability to effectively metabolize the very hormones it needs to achieve and maintain a pregnancy.

Acupuncture is extremely effective in reducing stress and helping rebalance the body’s hormones. This is why more and more people are turning to Chinese medicine if they are having trouble conceiving. If you want to know more about how it can help optimize your fertility, talk to us — we can help.